One week later.
Azel shook his head lightly when he saw the many knights lined up and bowed to him. He then smiled gently before asking.
"Do you really think this kind of training is useless?"
The reason the knights gathered was due to the training given by Azel. Incited by a middle-aged man named Kun, they thought that this kind of training was just a waste of time and inefficient.
Old man Kun replied politely. "Pardon our rudeness, sir. But this old slave thought, learning such things was useless and impractical on the battlefield."
"Hoo... I see." Azel nodded lightly. "Then how about we make a bet?"
"This old slave doesn't understand what Master is saying." Old man Kun replied politely.
"Let's fight."
Hearing Azel's firm and simple answer surprised everyone. Old man Kun hurriedly replied, "This old slave doesn't dare, Master."
"You're afraid of hurting me and I'll shut you up, right?"
Azel saw the old man looked hesitant to answer. He smiled instead.
"Relax! I vowed not to do such a thing. Even though I'm known for being useless, I'm not one to go back on my word."
"Is that true, sir?" Old man Kun looked at Azel carefully.
"All the knights here can bear witness."
"This old slave still has doubts, Master. After all, the sword has no eyes, if there is an accident...
"I can take care of myself," Azel said with a gentle smile on his face.
Old man Kun looked at Azel with a deep gaze. As if thinking of something, he finally replied, "As you wish, Master."
"Do you need anything else? If not, how about going to the practice arena now?"
"Okay." Old man Kun nodded politely.
A few moments later, Azel and Old Man Kun were seen standing opposite to each other in the practice arena. In addition, Azel had changed into his standard training equipment. It was as a deterrent so that no one thought it was cheating.
An ordinary-looking demon race youth named Ron will be the referee. Rather than a flashy-looking person, an ordinary figure seemed more suitable for the job. It doesn't look like it's on either side.
"Are you ready?"
"This old slave is ready, sir." Old man Kun nodded with a serious expression.
"Then give the signal, Ron."
Hearing his name being called, an ordinary youth like Ron looked panicked. Trying to calm himself down, he called out, "BEGIN!"
Hearing Ron's exclamation, Azel looked unhurried. He held the wooden sword in both hands, standing in a steady stance. Meanwhile, old man Kun rushed forward to attack Azel, thinking of finishing him off.
In response, Azel casually performed a vertical slash. Old man Kun sneered, dodging the slash with his nimble movements. He turned his body to the side before swinging the wooden sword towards Azel's neck.
The sound of a wooden sword colliding was heard. Still standing firmly in place, Azel used a parry move and managed to block Old Man Kun's attack. An indifferent expression appeared on Azel's face, making the old man narrow his eyes.
Old man Kun immediately backed away, trying to keep Azel away. Seeing that the Prince looked indifferent, he frowned. An unpleasant look appeared in his eyes.
"It seems the rumors about you are completely false, sir."
"Hehehe... you praise me too much." Azel slightly raised the corners of his lips, but his gaze was still clearly indifferent.
"Can this old man ask something, Sir?"
"Sure."
"In actual combat, it's not just technique that's needed. How to use spiritual energy is also very important."
'Hmmm? Is this old man instigating me to use spiritual energy?'
Azel raised his eyebrows, looking displeased. Spiritual energy, energy that is collected in the body and used by knights, assassins, and fighters who cannot use magic or have poor talent in magic. It is similar to 'Qi' or 'Qigong'. ' in Azel's previous life.
There are two basic types of energy that fighters in this world use. The first is spiritual energy, it is energy that is centered in the heart. While the last is where the energy is usually concentrated in the brain. Of course, both energies have their own nature.
Spiritual energy is usually used to strengthen the body when fighting. Strength, speed, or defense can usually be temporarily increased. Additionally, experts could condense energy to coat their swords, spears, arrows, and other weapons.
The use of mana's own energy is more extensive. Usually mana is used to 'fuel' magic. That type of energy could be converted into an elemental magic like fire, water, earth, wind, and such. Of course there are some unique magics, but those are only a minority.
Using spiritual energy or mana energy to fight, it could be said that the fight would be serious. Failure to control energy can injure yourself or your training partner. Realizing that, Azel sneered inside.
'The old man started to bared his fangs. Trying to hurt me, huh? Let's see if you can do it.'
Azel thought as he looked at Old Man Kun with a smile on his face. He didn't seem to care much before saying, "Then we'll spar using spiritual energy."
"This old slave dare not, sir! That kind of thing is dangerous for your safety."
'Tch! still keeping that act, huh.'
Azel sneered inwardly. But in reality, he still smiled gently.
"Relax, I won't blame you at all. Maybe this will be a good experience for me. After all, I'm usually too relaxed in the Imperial Palace. Don't have much experience."
"I-If that's what you order, this old slave doesn't dare to refuse. So please pardon this old slave's rudeness, Master!!"
"Good!" Azel glanced at Ron before nodding lightly.
"START!"
This time Old Man Kun did not move immediately. He strengthened the body with spiritual energy. Not only that, a layer of white light enveloped the wooden sword in the man's hand. Seeing that Azel was still standing indifferently, he cursed in his heart.
'Arrogant brat, die for me!'
Old man Kun shot straight at Azel. The zig-zag movements and irregular swings of the blade make his attacks difficult for some people to predict.
Of course Azel could see the old man's movements. With a smile on his face, the young man concentrated a bit of spiritual energy on his feet. The moment the attack came, he casually took a step back while tilting his head. The movement looks relaxed, but very fast. This left the audience dumbfounded.
'How could Master dodge such an attack so easily?'
Now the knights ran the question in their minds. Meanwhile, Old Man Kun looked irritated. He continued to advance and moved agilely. The old man kept attacking Azel, but the result was still the same. The prince dodged casually. Even a smile still visible on his face.
Seeing that smile, Old Man Kun felt ridiculed and angry. He continued to struggle hard and started to lose his cool. When he saw Azel slightly off balance, he focused all his energy into the sword and tried to stab it straight through the heart. The old man screamed madly.
"Die for me, useless brat!!!"
****